Meet Rachel & John from Children of Wanderlust
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Welcome to another installment of my travel blogger interview series! Today, I’m happy to introduce you to Rachel & John from Children of Wanderlust.
We are Rachel & John, a couple from the UK with a passion for travel and exploration. Nowadays, that means bringing along our 3 children, Savannah (5), Aurora (3) and Easton (1) with us. For more from us, find us online at Children of Wanderlust, or check out our Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or Pinterest.
How long have you been blogging for? Why’d you decide to start a travel blog?
We only started travel blogging properly in Nov 2019.
We’ve travelled extensively before having children and have continued to do so as much as we can since. We had always talked about creating some sort of memoir, to document all of our wonderful experiences; things like our recent road trip through Central Morocco.
So, when we made the decision to become a full time travel family for a year in our motorhome, we knew we had to finally take the plunge and start to blog about our adventures.
Do you have any tips for new travel bloggers/aspiring travel bloggers?
It’s a lot more work than you think so be prepared to put a lot of time into setting up your site. If you’re thinking you can do it while full-time travelling, my advice would be to try and have your site setup and fully customised with plug-ins etc. before you set off.
That way you can just write up each article as you go and not have to worry about the tech side of things.
What’s one thing you wish you knew before you started traveling?
How much my wanderlust would increase rather than diminish the more we travel. I never realised that by seeing more of the World, it’d just make me want to see even more.
Why do you love to travel?
We love new experiences and seeing more of the World. Now, also as a family. We’d love to be able to show our children as much of the World as possible too.
What’s your best and worst travel experience?
The best was probably staying in a tree house in Zambia, complete with elephants walking literally past the end of our bed while we were sleeping.
That, or watching the Aurora Borealis in Iceland. There are just so many to choose from.
The worst was an epic 23-hour drive we did in Laos, along a mud road in the rain (that we found out was closed after our convoy due to safety).
All done sat on a wooden bench in the back of a pick-up truck.
The journey was meant to be 4 hours, so we’d not taken enough food or drink etc.
We regularly had to get out and push as we repeatedly got stuck in the mud. To top it off, when we finally arrived at our destination, all the hostels were closed so we had to sleep on a concrete bench.
Do you prefer solo travel or traveling with other people? Why?
I’ve never solo travelled but I can totally see the benefits.
You can go wherever you like without ever having to compromise for anyone. It’s definitely easier to make friends on your own too.
We’ve travelled as a couple and people sometimes don’t approach you as they don’t want to be the ‘spare wheel’. That’s not to say we’ve never made any friends, it’s just different.
I do love travelling as a couple (and now as a family) as there is something really special about being able to share all the travel moments and experiences.
What’s your favorite place you’ve ever been to? Why?
This is way too tricky. If I really had to choose, possibly Easter Island, due to the mystery and stories of past cultures there.
It’s also quite inaccessible so not on everyone’s list of places they’ve been. Although, I’d imagine it’s on lots of bucket lists.
What’s your biggest travel tip?
Just do it. Don’t let things get in your way. Don’t ever think that having children is an obstacle.
Is there one specific thing you like to do, see, or buy in every place that you visit?
I like to buy things that I can have in my house that remind me of my travels, like a painting, or ornament etc.
This is only if I really like it though, I don’t have things from everywhere. I think just being able to see all the top sights in a place is more important.
Is there one particular food that you’ve tried while traveling that you loved? What food was it and why do you love it so much?
I do love to try the local food and have sampled lots. I think it’s totally all part of the experience. I’ve enjoyed too many things to choose just one. Instead, here’s one of the rare things I actually hate, durian fruit.
After smelling its district and extremely pungent aroma all over Asia, never being tempted in the slightest to sample it, I was finally persuaded in Bali.
This was by a husband and wife that we befriended, who sold beers on the beach in Kuta. It was the worst tasting food ever, living up to its smell. So bad, I’d advise anyone to try it, just to see!
Quick Questions
Plane or train? Train
Hotel or hostel? Hostel
City or nature? Nature
Popular site or off the beaten path? Popular, provided it’s something worth seeing
Suitcase or backpack? Suitcase
Fast travel or slow travel? Slow
Professional camera or iPhone photography? iPhone
Warm or cold weather? Warm weather – so much easier for packing
All photos used throughout this post are courtesy of Rachel & John.
